Flooring systems are widely used as floor coverings in both residential and commercial applications, owing at least in part to their versatility, availability in nearly unlimited colors and designs, and durability. Such flooring system components can be formed from ceramic, marble, granite, quartz, natural stone, porcelain, wood, glass, a variety of metals or polymers, and the like.
Conventional installed flooring (e.g., grouted ceramic tiles, nailed-down hardwood floors, glued-down vinyl sheets, and the like) is fixed in place to the mounting surface with the general goal of avoiding any movement of the flooring after installation. In such floors, the mechanical forces imparted to the floor (e.g., via people's feet, rolling wheels, or the like) primarily exert forces downward and are spread over the area of the flooring unit. These conventional floors are termed “non-floating floors” and are normally affixed to the mounting surface securely such that there is minimal movement, both laterally (i.e., parallel to the plane of the floor) and vertically (i.e., perpendicular to the plane of the floor). The incorporation of additional devices, such as those that harvest mechanical energy, into such floors would be permanent. This means that repair of either the flooring or the devices (and associated components) would be destructive to both the flooring and the devices, requiring much labor and cost.
Floating floor systems typically are not permanently affixed to a sub-floor or mounting surface, and easily can be installed or removed, thereby allowing ready access to the area under the floating floor. Such flooring does move slightly under load and can even be designed such that the flooring units (e.g. ceramic tiles, laminate planks, wooden floor planks, or the like) move substantially in a vertical direction (“press in”) or deflect when subjected to a downward force from a pedestrian or vehicle. This downward force, however, is spread over the cross-section of the flooring unit that is being displaced, so efficient harvesting of this mechanical force could be maximized only by a device or array of devices that covers the entire bottom surface of the floor. Such device arrays (e.g., including films, sheets, mats, and the like) have been disclosed in the prior art. This methodology requires a large area to be covered by sensors/devices and could therefore be expensive and/or time consuming to install.
This approach also raises the issues of practicality and expected reliability in service. To illustrate, walking on a floor that deflects noticeably under one's weight could be uncomfortable and even unsafe, increasing the risk of, for example, tripping. In one example, there exist floors that “rock” or rotate slightly about some pivot point, thereby permitting substantial motion such that the floor exerts variable forces on piezoelectric elements placed under the rocking member(s). Similar to floors that “press-in,” this method has negative aspects related to pedestrian safety (e.g., tripping) and the mechanical longevity of the flooring.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved flooring systems that make use of energy harvesting components/devices. It is to the provision of such systems, and the associated methods of manufacture and use that the various embodiments of the present invention are directed.